Pit bulls maul elderly couple at Modesto home

CALIFORNIA -- A man and a woman are in critical condition Tuesday night after a pack of pit bulls came to their Modesto home and mauled the pair, officials said.

Deputies are working to learn who owns the dogs.

Two of the animals were shot to death in the Modesto couple's backyard, according to a news release from Sheriff Adam Christianson, of the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.

The situation started about 5:45 p.m., when emergency officials took several 911 calls reporting a dog mauling in the 800 block of Glenn Avenue, Christianson said.

When deputies arrived at the home, they found three pit bulls attacking an elderly man in the victim's backyard, with a fourth pit bull circling the mauling, the sheriff said.

That's when deputies shot and killed the first two dogs. The other two pit bulls ran to a nearby yard, apparently spooked by the gunfire.

Investigators then secured the backyard where the attack took place and entered the house, where they found an elderly woman who also had been mauled, Christianson said.

She was suffering from multiple traumatic bite wounds, officials said.

Paramedics rushed the couple to a hospital. The Sheriff’s Department is not releasing their names.
"It’s incredible for four dogs to attack a human being," Christianson said.

In the meantime, other deputies who were called in to assist in the investigation set up a perimeter around the adjacent yard to contain the remaining two dogs.

"The dogs were acting in a vicious manner and posed a credible threat to the community," Christianson said. "Both were vicious, aggressive and charged (at) the deputies."

Officials shot those dogs to death as well.

Detectives are working to find witnesses, gather possible evidence and work with Stanislaus County Animal Services to determine if these particular pit bulls have any history of biting humans or any other vicious behavior.

Neighbor Celeste Vaughn told KCRA 3 the dogs are no strangers to the community. The animals have attacked other dogs in the past, but never people, she said.

"I stayed clear of them because I knew they were bad news," Vaughn said.

The Sheriff's Department also will investigate whether the dogs were micro-chipped.

The owner or owners could be liable, civilly and criminally, for the dogs' actions.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Greg Buck at 209-525-7103.

The investigation continues. No further information has been released at this hour.

(KCRA Sacramento - Oct 14, 2014)